The present invention relates to an accessory holder for mounting on a rifle, in general, and, in particular, to an accessory mount for mounting on an existing rail structure on the weapon.
In recent years, the increasing complexity of combat has generated a need for weapons with increased accuracy and which are capable of supporting various accessories, such as flashlights, infrared and night vision scopes, laser spotters, and so forth. Consequently, a wide variety of mounts for rifles and other hand weapons have been developed which permit the mounting of lights scopes and the like on the weapon, often along the barrel.
A few examples are as follows. There is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,484, to Mooney et al., a universal mount for a rifle which is formed to support a series of accessory devices simultaneously. The mount comprises an upper rail, a lower rail, a heat shield, and a retaining clip. When in place, this mount enables the rifle to be used as a weapons"" platform, simultaneously supporting a plurality of accessory devices that enhance the operational capabilities of the weapon. A major feature of this invention is that the mount is secured to the barrel so that it xe2x80x9cfollowsxe2x80x9d the direction of the barrel when the latter undergoes thermal deformation as a result of firing successive rounds of ammunition, which enables the weapon to remain accurate despite the number of rounds fired or the temperature of the barrel.
A collimator holding device for a weapon barrel is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,015 to Baumann, et al., which includes a casing extension on the casing of the weapon, and a longitudinal rail integrally formed on the top of the casing and on the casing extension as a mounting for the telescopic sight.
Another hand-held firearm with a light casing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,486 to Bilgeri et al. This firearm also includes a casing extension having a mounting for a telescopic sight.
There is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,237 to Matthews et al. a firearm with target illuminators including a track and slide combination including a slide on the target illuminator and a track structure clamped to the trigger guard on the weapon for that slide, and a releasable slide-in-track stop in the track and slide combination.
Another apparatus for attaching a flashlight to a firearm is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,105 to Teetzel. This apparatus includes a chassis containing a flashlight that can be mounted in various positions, depending on the weapon selected. The weapons factory installed hand grips are replaced by modified hand grips that contain the flashlight electronic controls, water proof activation switches, and power source.
These prior art devices suffer from a number of disadvantages. First, conventional flashlight mounts are substantially cylindrical in cross-section, such that their bottom surface is curved, so they provide no stability if the weapon is leaned upon a wall, for example. Second, generally a separate mount is required for each different accessory. However, if conventional accessory mounts are mounted beneath the barrel, it is difficult to comfortably grip the weapon, or places the user""s hand in close proximity to the hot barrel during firing. Therefore, all the accessories are often mounted on top of the barrel.
It is also known to incorporate a bipod mount under the barrel of a rifle, such as an M16. These mounts generally include springs for folding the bipod legs when not in use, as seen, for example, in U.S. published application Ser. No. 2002/0089201. Conventional bipod mounts are generally mounted in such a way that they interfere with access to other accessories on the weapon and, when folded, provide an uncomfortable grip on the rifle. An alternative bipod, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,892 to Bilgeri et al. is mounted beneath the barrel, in place of a lower mounting rail.
Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a light mount for a rifle or other hand held firearm which is provides a strong grip, and stability for the weapon, and it would be desirable if it included a bipod mount which does not interfere with the use of the firearm or any other accessory thereon.
The present invention provides an accessory mount for a hand held firearm having an elongate barrel and a mounting rail coupled beneath the barrel, especially a rifle, the accessory mount including a frame defining a substantially flattened bottom surface, and a track for mounting along the mounting rail, the frame having a cavity for receiving a light, and a bipod mount coupled adjacent the track and behind the light cavity and arranged to hold a bipod with legs folded substantially adjacent the barrel.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cavity for receiving a light defines a flashlight casing integrally formed in the mount.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the accessory mount further includes at least one laser holding cavity. According to one embodiment, the mount includes two laser holding cavities, one for a visible laser and one for an infrared laser. Alternatively, the cavity for receiving a light may define a laser holder.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottom surface includes a plurality of flattened rings, arranged for easy and secure gripping by fingers of a user. Preferably, the frame includes a cut-away portion whereby a handle is defined between the cut-away portion and the bottom surface. Most preferably, the handle includes a battery holder for the flashlight.
Further according to a preferred embodiment, the accessory mount includes built-in PPT switches on each side of the mount for activating the flashlight.
According to one embodiment, the mount further includes a four-way switch, for actuating a flashlight alone, a laser alone, a flashlight together with a laser, or off. Preferably, the mount includes a further switch for switching between a visible laser and an infrared (invisible) laser.